THE CARE AND RAISING OF BUTTON QUAIL
First of all, what is a Button Quail? Buttons are the smallest of the "true" quails, about four inches long, and are native to Australia, Southeast Asia, India, etc. In addition to the normal "wild type", they come in silver, white, browns and various combinations and shades of these colors, also known as "mutations". Unfortunately, our buttons do not have a very long lifespan; females' can be as short as 18 months, but if they are given proper care and nutrition you can expect your button hen to live three to four years or even more. Males average four to five years (again, depending on care and nutrition), but it has been said of at least a few male buttons who lived to be as old as nine!
There are actually several different species of birds sharing the name "Button Quail", and they are all not necessarily related. The Button is commonly referred to as the "Chinese Painted Quail", and is a member of the order Galliformes, family phasianidae. Buttons are small, neat, and relatively quiet, (although they do have a fairly extensive "vocabulary" that you will come to understand if you take the time!). Their antics are always amusing, and they are very active, always searching the ground for seeds and other finds. Button quail can become very tame, especially if raised by hand, and if you are patient enough, may be willing to eat from your hand or even let you scratch under their chin!
Incubation
Button Quail eggs take 16 days to incubate, however, up to 18 days is not that uncommon. The incubator should be set at approximately 100.5 degrees. The humidity should be at approximately 50%. Following the directions of the incubator will usually instruct you on how to keep the proper level of humidity. The eggs need to be laid in the incubator so that the small end of the egg is lower then the larger end. The eggs MUST be turned or rolled 3 to 4 time daily, at evenly spaced intervals (Every 6 or 8 hours). Stop turning the eggs at the 13th day and increase the humidity slightly, by adding more water. As the chicks hatch, leave them in the incubator 6-12 hours so that they are completely dried and fluffy.
Brooding
The chicks must be kept in a warm dry and draft proof area. An infrared lamp, box, and screen top makes for a great “home made” brooder. However, there are many great commercial brooders on the market. The chicks will need a high protein mash for the first 2 weeks. They then can be introduced to game bird crumble. Sea Kelp and Probiotics add a great deal to the health of your chicks. The feeder should be one that they cannot walk into waste the food and dirty it.
Housing your Button Quail
Many people keep button quails in the bottom of their aviary, for variety as well as to help clean up spilled seed. This is fine, as long as the other birds' droppings are cleaned out often and the quail are not overcrowded. Because their feet are not made for perching, but rather for walking, their floor must not be wire, instead use cedar or pine shavings.
Food and water must be accessible to the quail on the floor of their home. Make sure the food dish is not something their little toes will get caught in! The best thing I have found for a waterer is a Drown Proof waterer. This keeps the water fresh and clean, whereas a bowl of water would quickly become dirty as the quail would be walking through it all the time and tracking stuff into it.
If you want to keep button quail simply because they are so cute, and not for an aviary, keep in mind that they are not like other birds in that they are ground dwellers and cannot perch. This means that floor space is key but vertical space is not as important.. If they are to be housed by themselves or in pairs, a large glass fishtank, 4' long by 1' wide, is ideal. Usually these are 55 gal. capacity, but you can have your pet store order one that is not as deep (and less expensive!) that is known as a "30 gal. long".
Button quail can be very shy, and are easily startled. They are much happier if they have places to hide, so you should add some "extra options" to their cage or aquarium. Plastic or silk plants also make nice hiding places, and are much easier to maintain
Determining the sex of Button Quail For most Button Quail the male will have a white stripe on his “chin” or throat. With White Button’s this is not possible. With white’s (and all Button’s) the female is larger then the male. The other method to determine the sex of your Button’s is by gently holding the quail upside down. Place your index finger between its legs towards its back end. With the female you will feel a wider space (vent) then with the male.
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FEEDING BUTTON QUAIL
So, what do they eat? Button Quails are truly omnivorous, requiring animal, vegetable and mineral to be healthy. Their primary need is a diet high in protein, and the staple of their diet should really be "gamebird crumble", which is 28% protein. For baby chicks you can grind it in a coffee grinder or food processor. Small seeds, such as millet, rape and hemp, are fine. It is also important to add Sea Kelp and Probiotics to their diet for their overall health. In addition, you'll want to make sure that Button gets live food as well. Mealworms are a perennial favorite.
I hope that you enjoy the whole process of raising Button Quail as much as I have. I have been raising game birds for more then 30 years and can honestly say that Button’s are my favorites. Please feel free to Email me with any questions you may have, or to just talk about your birds.
Thanks, Vic Gubitosa - gubitosa1@yahoo.com – www.gubitosasgamebirdsupplies.com
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